Bots and AI are barging into online dating

Dating apps have arguably made finding a mate more convenient than ever. But for the truly lazy lothario who can’t be bothered to lift a swiping finger, there may be a solution — a bot.

In fact, it may be unfair to call bot-assisted matchmaking lazy. People who’ve tried it say it can help the loneliest among us maximize the chance of finding another fish in the giant, digital sea.

Some bots are crude, but others are suave

As ArsTechnica reported, the technology can take many forms:

• Some bots learn your preferences and swipe right like the world is ending tomorrow. They might drop a rudimentary message to users who match.
• Others are smooth talkers, specializing in conversation. But their banter has limits. It probably sounds a bit like getting hit on by Gmail’s Smart Reply. How romantic!

AI-assisted dating also raises plenty of questions. What if the bots just reinforce our biases? How will you know if your match is really Brian, and not just a bot? What if we’re destined to die alone?

The biggest apps are starting to embrace AI — in small ways

Tinder rolled out some new safety features that use AI to filter out harassment.